Dear Hillary: We’ll Keep Our “Gun Culture,” Thank You

At a campaign stop in Hartford, Conn., late last month, Democratic presidential front-runner ratcheted up her hateful rhetoric toward law-abiding American gun owners. Yes, you read that right—once again she was ignoring violent criminals involved in murder and mayhem on our streets, while targeting those who own and regularly use firearms for a variety of legal reasons.

“I am here to tell you I will use every single minute of every day … looking for ways we can save lives, that we can change the gun culture,” she told the fawning crowd. (Emphasis added.)

Aside from the obvious question that arises concerning the myriad of extremely important challenges facing our nation that will evidently go ignored by such single-mindedness should Clinton be elected, the statement reveals another fault in her logic. The gangbangers shooting it out on the streets of Chicago aren’t the people Clinton is referring to as the “gun culture.” In truth, I’m the “gun culture.” And you’re the “gun culture.”

That’s right, her goal is to change us.

Are you a casual gun owner that keeps a shotgun in your safe to shoot an occasional round of skeet or maybe a .22 rifle to plink a few tin cans at Grandpa’s farm on the holidays? Hillary wants to change you.

Do you own a gun or two to visit the local range and punch some holes in paper with your buddies after work a couple of times a month? Hillary wants to change you.

Are you a competitive shooter who loves to shoot USPSA, IDPA or 3-gun matches on the weekend, pitting your skills against others with the same interest? Hillary wants to change you. The gangbangers shooting it out on the streets of Chicago aren’t the people Clinton is referring to as the “gun culture.”

Are you a duck hunter, deer hunter, upland game hunter or enjoy heading to the fields and woods in pursuit of other game species? Hillary wants to change you.

Do you have a nice collection of classic Colt SAA revolvers or Winchester 1873 rifles? Or maybe a few vintage firearms that are family heirlooms you inherited from a grandfather or uncle? Hillary wants to change you.

Do you own a gun for home defense, practicing your fundamental human right to defend your home and family? Hillary wants to change you.

Do you own a small handgun that you legally carry for self-defense purposes should the worst happen while going about your daily routine? Hillary wants to change you.

Do you own a gun that you carry while selling cocaine on the streets of Chicago, keeping it handy in case you feel the need to shoot a rival gang member, or just gun down some innocent kid on the street? Well, that’s OK. According to Clinton, you’re not the problem.

In fact, Clinton and other gun-haters blame crime on just about everything but criminals. If they aren’t blaming law-abiding gun owners for crime, they are blaming guns.

In mid-April, Clinton showed her disdain for firearms when questioned by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. Pressing Clinton on her misleading statements blaming Vermont gun laws for New York’s crime, Blitzer asked her, “Why did you put out that statement blaming Vermont and its gun policy for some of the death of … by guns in New York?”

Clinton’s answer reveals an important nugget of deception fostered by so many in the gun-ban movement. Clinton stated, “Well, the facts are that most of the guns that end up committing crimes in New York come from out of state.”

We all know—as do most thinking people—that guns don’t “end up committing crimes,” just as law-abiding gun owners don’t commit drive-by shootings in our inner cities.

In truth, you, me and other law-abiding gun owners—America’s real gun culture—aren’t what needs to change to make America a safer place. We’re the ones who understand that the real first line of defense is the Second Amendment, and that our ability to practice our God-given right to self-defense is inalienable and non-negotiable.

As long as people like Clinton and other gun-banners see law-abiding gun owners as the problem, we will likely see little reduction in crime in the large cities that have seen a resurgence of violence in the past few years. And as long as their faulty logic persists, we will remain in a battle for our freedom.

Fortunately, if we can work hard enough over the next few months to keep Clinton out of the White House and gun-ban advocates from controlling the U.S. House and Senate, we, as law-abiding gun owners, can at least go about our lives without another eight years of being targeted by the occupant of the Oval Office.